Self-propelled robotic pool cleaners include one or more drive motors to move or otherwise propel the cleaner over a surface of a pool being cleaned. Electric power to the cleaner can be provided by an external power supply via a power cable, which is typically fabricated from two wire conductors having sufficient length to enable the cleaner to move over the bottom and side surfaces of the pool. Alternatively, electric power for the cleaner can be provided by an on-board battery or battery pack. The power supply provides electrical power to drive one or more electric motors that propel the cleaner over the pool surfaces. For example, the one or more motors can rotate the wheels, roller brushes, and/or tracks directly or via a gear/belt drive assembly. Alternatively, a pump motor having one or more propellers can be used to discharge a pressurized stream of filtered water in the form of a water jet that also propels the cleaner in a direction opposite the water jet. The incoming power from the power cable can also be directed to an on-board controller that includes a microcontroller, logic circuitry and/or programs to control the movement of the cleaner. The movement of the cleaner can be random, but is preferably in accordance with a predetermined cleaning pattern.
The robotic pool cleaner includes one or more inlets formed at the bottom or base of the cleaner housing through which water and debris are drawn into the housing interior for filtering. The debris is retained by the filter and the filtered water is then discharged from the cleaner back into the pool.
Removal of the cleaner from the pool is often necessary or desirable in various circumstances, for example, once the pool has been cleaned, the on-board battery power is low, the filter is full or any other condition that necessitates the cleaner to be removed from the pool. The user typically removes the cleaner manually from the swimming pool by lifting the cleaner out and placing it on a pool deck or a cart brought near the edge of the pool. Where the cleaner is powered by an external supply via a power cable, the power cable is often pulled or otherwise “reeled in” by a user from the edge of the pool until the cleaner can be grasped by hand and manually lifted out of the pool. For robotic pool cleaners that are powered by an internal battery, the user must “hope” that the cleaner still has enough power to reach and climb the sidewall of the pool for removal while the user is present, and if not, must physically enter the swimming pool to retrieve the cleaner.
As some individuals find that manually removing the pool cleaner from the pool can be time consuming and physically demanding, it would be advantageous to provide a robotic pool cleaner that can better lift and rise up from the bottom surface of a pool in a controlled manner for retrieval by an end user along the deck of the swimming pool.